Jacqueline Vong – CoFounder of Playology Intl (Ep.35)

In this session we hear from one of Canada's premier experts on global licensing/merchandising and brand/franchise marketing focused on Asia. Jacqueline has spent 2 decades in the children's entertainment space and shares some of her experiences taking the minions to China, bringing the Wiggles to Canada and much much more. Learn more about Jacqueline's company, Playology International: https://www.playologyintl.com/ [expand title="Podcast Transcript (Auto-Generated)"] Qasim Virjee 0:29 Welcome back to another episode of the start, well podcast this time around, I'm joined in studio with Jacqueline Vaughn, who I've known for many, many years. And we're reconnecting today to talk all things content, licensing, games, merchandising, children's entertainment, we'll see where this conversation goes. There's a lot to talk about. But with that, I will welcome Jackie, Jack. Jack, Jacqueline Vong 0:58 I hate Jackie. Qasim Virjee 1:00 To all the Jackie's out there. Jacqueline Vong 1:04 Enjoy your name, and it's just not me, you keep Qasim Virjee 1:06 rocking your name. Hi, Q Hi, it is so nice to have you here. And to see your face after so long after many years as we've each fallen into family life perhaps? Jacqueline Vong 1:17 Yes, it's been a it's been a while and I'm so happy to be back and feel like I'm back. You know, during COVID in a room with people, and a gorgeous place at start. Well, good job. Qasim Virjee 1:31 Thank you. Thank you very much. This place has been a lot of work. But you know, it's a it's work that enables other people's work. And that's fulfilling to me. So I love it. Congratulations on all of that. Thank you. Lots of talk about for starters, catch me up, catch our audience up on what play ology Incorporated, is. Jacqueline Vong 1:53 Okay, so for the last five years, folks, I have run a strategic consultancy in the youth entertainment and kids space, basically, merging the intersection of licensing, merchandise licensing and content marketing together. So what does that mean? Basically, we know that we're consuming content in different ways, and it's ever changing. And so we have set up ourselves to be thought leaders there and create your go to market strategy, from content initiation, to development, to creation into the merchandise licensing piece where you make actual toys and publishing and games and help you broker that huge gap and monetize it. Qasim Virjee 2:40 Okay, so starting, let's talk about starting the foundation story as an entrepreneur of launching play ology, Inc. Wow, what's the like, what was the if there were if there was a context that you could paint for us of founding your own company, because I know that you work with some some great, you know, toy companies, people in this space, doing all sorts of things. And you can call those experiences out and then just tell me a little bit about like, how you went on your own kind of thing. Jacqueline Vong 3:05 So I had the pleasure of starting my career with some of the greats and master course entertainment Nelvana and Mattel, where I managed Barbie, which you know, as a female growing up as a child Barbie was the mecca of where you are. And in the toy industry, Mattel being the number one toy company, Barbie was the place I wanted to be. So when I landed the job, I thought, Wow, that's amazing. But where do I go next? So I had the opportunity after Mattel to actually go to China, and live out my dream of managing the territory of the mainland and creating experiences for kids there. And when was that? What year was that? It was 2011. So I left Toronto to go to Hong Kong, and manage China from China but living in Hong Kong. So commuting an hour a day. And bringing in Western brands like Transformers Fisher Price, the minions and Peppa Pig. So I helped with the conversation and the storytelling of Peppa Pig to making it the